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Sunday, November 27, 2016

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 12 WRAPUP

-The Atlanta Falcons have unveiled a new offensive toy during the second half of the season in speedster Taylor Gabriel who went out and caught 4 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the team's win over the Arizona Cardinals. Gabriel's development will only continue the monster season for QB Matt Ryan and the effort helped bury the Cardinals from playoff contention.

-Despite being less than a week from thumb surgery, nothing could stop Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy as he rushed for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 19 carries, while also catching 2 passes for 31 more yards. While McCoy is not the elite receiver he once was, his rushing game has been as potent as ever and in actuality he is having a monster season on that front with 9 scores on the ground. He is a firm top five running back in all leagues.

-Even in defeat Cardinals running back David Johnson is ridiculous as he rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries, while also catching 8 passes for 103 yards and a score. Anyone who picked Johnson number 1 overall clearly made a great choice.

-It was a typical Sammy Watkins game upon his return to active duty on Sunday as he caught 3 passes for 80 yards for the Bills in their game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Watkins remains a guy capable of huge production but injuries and inconsistent QB play by the Bills have always held him back. It looks like that hasn't changed.

-The end is near for San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates who failed to catch even one pass in the team's Sunday victory over the Houston Texans. Gates stayed a year too long by the looks of it and he should not be on any fantasy football team.

-How on earth is it that the New Orleans Saints score 49 points on offense but wideout Brandin Cooks failed to even catch one pass? We all know the Saints passing offense and QB Drew Brees spread the ball around but that is ridiculous and beyond infuriating for Cooks' owners. He is as streaky as they come and is tough to trust week-to-week.

-Speaking of Brees, he was pure insanity Sunday as he completed 28-of-36 passes for 310 yards with 4 TD. Brees also added a rushing score for good measure and he put up over 40 points in a standard league. While he is aging at 38, Brees is in the same boat as Tom Brady in terms of not showing any signs of slowing down and remaining as dominant a passer as there is in football. I drafted him in the third round this past summer in the Experts League and have been more than happy with the production.

-Enough of Tim Hightower as Mark Ingram was tremendous for the second time in three weeks as he rumbled for 146 yards and a score on 14 carries, while adding a second score on his 1 catch for 21 more yards. He can't be graded as more than a RB 2 with Hightower continuing to get work but Sean Payton needs to ends this garbage setup.

-Devonta Freeman had been MIA for a few weeks like he did in the middle of last season but he re-appeared Sunday by rushing for 60 yards and 2 scores on just 16 carries in the team's win over the Arizona Cardinals. Freeman also caught 2 passes for 17 more yards. Tevin Coleman scored a touchdown of his own and their timeshare makes both RB 2's the rest of the season if both are healthy.

-Michael Thomas looks like a real winner as a 2016 draft pick by the Saints as he rookie was terrific again on Sunday as he caught 9 passes for 108 yards and 2 scores. With Brandin Cooks completely out of sync with Drew Brees, you can say that Thomas is the number 1 wideout for the team which is a big statement.

-It looks like all of the heavy usage Lamar Miller undertook in September for the Houston Texans is taking its tool as he limped off for the second time in three games with an ankle injury late in the team's loss to the San Diego Chargers. Prior to the injury, Miller was so-so again running the football as he rushed for 57 meaningless yards on 19 carries, while also catching just 3 passes for 18 more yards, Nothing has gone right especially lately for Miller and overall his mid-first round grade this season looks like a huge reach.

-For the seventh time in the last 8 games, Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota threw at least 2 touchdown passes as he completed 15-of-23 throws for 226 yards and the 2 scores. He also rushed for 46 yards on the ground as a bonus. The bottom line is that Mariota is right there as a top five overall fantasy football QB and the evidence is in the numbers. What a season he is having.

-Jeremy Hill owners got to finally see what life would be like without Gio Bernard stealing touches as the power back rushed for 21 yards on 12 carries, while also catching 6 passes for 61 more yards. Rex Burkhead got some looks but this was the Hill show. On the rushing side, Hill was abysmal but at least he showed he can help in the passing game.

-Those looking for some tight end help could look at Cardinals veteran Jermaine Gresham who caught five balls for 35 yards and a touchdown in the team's loss to the Falcons. While you really want to do better, Gresham has moved himself more and more into Carson Palmer's passing plans.

-Once again San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is showing he is a good fit in Chip Kelly's offense as he completed 29-of-46 passes for 296 yards with 3 TD and 1 INT. He also added 113 rushing yards on 10 carries as he filled up the game score. With Kaepernick getting the starts the rest of the way, he has decent fantasy football value in all leagues.

-While he scared us with an early thumb injury that turned out to not be anything worrisome, new York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. had a big game as he caught 6 balls for 96 yards and 2 scores. Beckham is really picking up the TD pace during the second half of the season and is performing every bit as the top three overall wideout he entered the season as.

-As expected Tyler Eifert was a high target receiver of QB Andy Dalton in the first game without injured wideout A.J. Green. Eifert caught 5 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown as he once again remains a huge TD threat at the very least.

-Although not as extreme a case as Brandin Cooks in terms of the points scored by the team, it was still very disappointing for New York Giants rookie wideout to not catch one pass in the team's win over the Cleveland Browns. Shepard has had a big debut season but this is obviously one to forget. Keep playing him as a WR 3 despite the ugly game.

-Well it is a start. Such was the performance from Los Angeles Rams rookie QB Jared Goff who completed 20-of-32 passes for 214 with 3 TD's. He also tossed an INT and lost a fumble which shows his rookie tendencies. While far from useful in fantasy football, at least it is something to build on for the kid.

-Jordan Howard has been terrific as a rookie runner for the Chicago Bears since taking over for Jeremy Langford and he had another big game Sunday as he rushed for 84 yards on 18 carries, while also catching 3 passes for another 43 yards. He has been a tremendous mid-season value pickup and deserves top RB 2 consideration the rest of the season.

-Slowly but surely Kenneth Dixon is gaining more and more work in the Baltimore Ravens backfield as he ran for 49 yards on 13 carries, while also catching 4 passes for 31 more yards. While still splitting time with Terrance West, Dixon is getting close to RB 2 status in PPR formats.

-Yes that was Torrey Smith catching a TD pass for the 49ers Sunday as the invisible wideout snagged 3 passes for 24 yards and the score in the team's loss to the Miami Dolphins. We have always made it a point to knock Smith for his underwhelming performances going back to his Ravens days and now he is not even worth owing.

-Just like with Marcus Mariota, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston is making a sizable leap in his second year in the league, with his recent play showing such a jump. The latest was Winston completing 21-of-28 passes for 220 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT in upsetting the Seattle Seahawks. While Mariota has been the better player this season, Winston has been no slouch and is showing he can be depended on as an every week fantasy football passer.

-It was a ghastly outing for Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson who completed 17-of-33 passes for 151 yards with 0 TD's and 2 INT's. He did rush for 80 yards on 8 carries but overall Wilson was a big dud. This ended a recent uptick swing for Wilson but he is still secure enough as a top 12-fantasy football QB.

-It was a valiant comeback attempt by the Carolina Panthers but it fell short as QB Cam Newton did all he could in completing 14-of-29 passes for 246 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT. He also contributed a third TD on 6 rushing yards but Newton also lost a last-second fumble that clearly eliminated hem from playoff contention. The encore to his 2015 MVP has not been as good but Newton is still doing more than enough to justify his first round grade.

-Helping along in the Carolina comeback that came up short was running back Jonathan Stewart who rushed for 96 yards and two scores on just 17 carries. The touchdowns are beginning to add up lately for Stewart who has made a career straddling 2/3 range but while he is hot, keep trotting him out there.

-What a game for and what a season for that matter when it comes to Tampa Bay Buc's wideout Mike Evans. Evans caught 2 first quarter TD's Sunday in the team's win over the Seattle Seahawks and overall hauled in 8 passes for 104 yards. Nothing has stopped Evans this season and he fully has climbed into top tier status in all fantasy football leagues.

-Malcom Mitchell has become the latest New England Patriots receiving weapon as he had a second straight good game for the team Sunday as he grabbed 5 passes for 42 yards and 2 scores. Mitchell has taken advantage of his increased chances to contribute and is placing himself in WR 3 range.